Kunatite Photo Upgrade

Mineral Matters #525

Back in 2008, I took a photo of what was the being called “an unknown Cu Fe phosphate” from Lake Boga, Victoria, Australia. That photo made it as Photo of the Day on Mindat in April 2008. It was also used in the paper describing the new mineral.

It was one of a very small number of specimens collected by John Carey from Bendigo. John had given me this piece and had passed on a few specimens to Museum Victoria to characterise. Subsequently, this was described as the new mineral kunatite, named for the rural district of Kunat around the town of Lake Boga.

Kunatite has also been found at Huber stock, Krásno, Sokolov District, Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic, designated as a Co-Type Locality.

It was time for a photo upgrade.

I am glad that I retook it. It gave me the opportunity to look at the specimen a bit closer. More additions to my Hidden Collection! This also fits this week’s Facebook Mineral of the Week Group theme of turquoise minerals (by association! 😁), as well as the previous theme of Type Locality minerals!

In addition to the greenish-yellow balls of kunatite, there are also blue-green balls of turquoise/chalcosiderite, a square-shaped torbernite crystal (slightly below left of centre), some unidentified darker green balls (pseudomalachite?), and all on albite, orthoclase and smoky quartz.

Below: The latest photo. Width of view 6mm.

Below: Original photo. Width of view 4mm.